A Toast to Company
by pinetree13
Summary: SEQUEL TO "WELCOME". AU Rain and Jet continue on their adventures in the TARDIS with the Doctor and River. However, now they have three younger passengers with them and must make some changes to accommodate them.


**Hello to everyone who has either just begun the story or has been waiting for the sequel! As promised, here is the sequel to my story "Welcome." If you haven't read that one yet, I would suggest doing so, as it would clear up a lot of the background (see bottom of the story). I know it took me a while to finally write this sequel, and I'm ashamed to admit that much of that time was spent thinking of a fitting title. I hope this one at least somewhat works. This takes place a couple years later, when Rhett and Jane are toddlers (about 5) and Storm is a little older (about 6). Also, this is written as a sort of AU, where the Ponds have a happy normal life and Clara hasn't been introduced, so the TARDIS is like the one from seasons 5-6. I hope you enjoy!**

After all the magnificent things that had happened over the last few years, the Doctor, for the first time, was glad to have a sort of lull in the action. He figured that having young children was hard enough without living on a TARDIS, but when you add all of time and space, being a parent became seemingly impossible. Though somehow—with the help of River Song—he had managed to make it through, and now his little Stormy was becoming more and more self-reliant, giving him a chance to relax. Even Rhett and Jane were becoming calmer by the day.

Now he sat in the captain's chair near the console, thinking these exact things. However, he did miss the adventure of traveling time and space freely without having to worry about too many people. Since Rhett and Jane had been born, they had tried to keep to only benign planets and times. Of course, that had varying amounts of success. Still, though he would never mention it to any of the others—for fear that they would leave—he missed the good old days.

However, these thoughts were interrupted when he felt a tug on his jacket. He looked up to see the twins standing there, each having dark, wavy hair, though Jane's was slightly darker. Their eyes were a soft brown. Rhett stood a little taller than his sister, with a face whose features were slightly more pronounced. Still, despite those few little differences, if a stranger were to see them he would have no trouble telling that the two were siblings.

Jane was the one who had tugged on his jacket. "Oh, hello!" the Doctor said brightly as he emerged from his reverie. "Sorry, I didn't see you there." The twins had always been rather quiet, and when neither of them spoke up, the Doctor asked, "Is your mother around?"

Finally, it was Rhett who answered, "She's in her room with Daddy. She told us not to bother them."

The Doctor lifted his eyebrows and let out a small chuckle. "Yes, that's probably for the best."

"Where's Auntie River?" Jane asked after a moment. Though they were technically the kids' grandparents, River had insisted they refer to them as Auntie or Uncle. The Doctor had always found this humorous, so he didn't argue with her.

"Oh, last I heard she was showing Stormy around the place she used to live." Yes, this sounded a lot better than "her old prison." Personally, he had been against the idea of allowing their six-year-old son to explore the highest-security prison in the universe, but River was insistent, and Storm was excited. Still, he had decided to stay in the TARDIS rather than go along with them.

"Can we see too?" asked Rhett excitedly.

The Doctor was very inclined to say no, but the two children's faces had brightened at the mere mention of a potential adventure, and he felt as if he couldn't let them down. "Oh, all right, I suppose." The twins let out a small cheer at this. "But don't tell your parents about this," he added in a whisper.

The two of them nodded their heads enthusiastically, and the Doctor jumped up from his seat. After ruffling their hair as he had taken to doing, he led the way to the door of the TARDIS. "Well, what are you waiting for?" he asked as the children smoothed their hair down.

Now they raced to the door in that comical way that many young children do, with arms flailing and feet stomping. They rushed out the door before stopping almost immediately. The Doctor walked out and closed the door behind him. The twins seemed to be unsure of their surroundings, cautiously glancing all around. Finally, Jane reached up to hold the Doctor's hand before asking, "Uncle Doctor… where are we?"

"This place is called Stormcage," the Doctor answered, unsure of the proper way to phrase this answer. "Your Auntie River used to live here."

When Rhett noticed that Jane had taken hold of the Doctor's hand, he reached up to take the other as he asked, "But why are there all those bars like the ones they put bad guys in? Is Auntie River a bad guy?" His tiny voice was starting to sound a little worried now.

The Doctor simply laughed it off. "No, don't worry, Auntie River isn't a bad guy. She just… got in trouble for something she didn't do."

"Ohh." Rhett's eyes were wide with comprehension now. "That's not fair."

"No, it's not." This was the best and only answer that he could come up with. "Now, let's go find Storm and Auntie River, shall we?"

Together, they walked through the halls of Stormcage, the Doctor bent over slightly to keep hold of the children's hands, which were squeezing progressively tighter as they walked farther and farther. Finally, they began to hear voices. "… And then you just turn this little part here, and the lock just pops open." There was a click, the sound of a metal door swinging open, and an awed gasp.

The Doctor turned the corner to see River holding a tiny piece of metal while Storm sat on the prison cell's bed, watching her every move with amazement. "Oh, hello, Sweetie!" she called when she finally noticed the Doctor's presence. "Decide to join us after all?"

Now he let go of the kids' hands, allowing them to go and join Storm. "Actually, these two wanted to see what you were up to. Their parents are… occupied." His face became slightly redder upon saying that comment.

River laughed and moved in closer so that the children wouldn't hear her whisper, "Oh, we might as well let them have their fun." She punctuated this sentence with a wink, which only helped to darken the Doctor's now rosy complexion. With a smile, she turned back to the cell where the kids were now sat.

"Again! Again!" Storm called. "Show them what you did with the lock!"

River laughed once more and turned to the door, about to repeat the trick, when she heard rapid footsteps coming in their direction. Rather than sounding worried, she was just a little annoyed. "Well, that's probably not good."

"Do we have enough time to make it back to the TARDIS?" the Doctor asked hurriedly.

However, River just shook her head. "No, no, the footsteps are coming in the direction of the TARDIS, so that wouldn't do us any good. We'll just have to stay here." Slowly, she pulled a tube of lipstick from inside her shirt and began applying it.

"Is this the best time to adjust your makeup?" the Doctor asked, slightly annoyed.

She rolled her eyes and whispered, "Just because I'm out of prison doesn't mean that I've given up my hallucinogenic lipstick, dear."

Realization flashed across the Doctor's face, and he smiled, nodding in agreement.

"Auntie River, should we hide?" asked Rhett from inside the cell.

River turned to see that all of them looked more than a little worried. "No, everything's going to be fine," she answered.

Finally, the person walking turned the corner to come into view. As River had expected, it was a Stormcage guard. "What the—" he said as he saw the two of them standing there as if everything was normal. Then he noticed the three young children sitting on the cell bed, and the confusion became even more pronounced on his face. Immediately he moved to pick up the phone that was across from the cell, no doubt to sound the alarm.

However, River walked up to him and snatched the phone from his grasp. "You really don't want to do that," she said.

The guard took out his gun in response. "Oh yeah, and why not?"

"Because then," she said, moving closer to him with every word, "I'd have to do this." Now she pressed her mouth on his, smearing the hallucinogenic lipstick. Behind her, the Doctor's hands curled into fists. He knew that she had to do this to allow them to escape, but he didn't have to like it.

When River pulled away, the guard tottered precariously, as if he might fall over at any moment. However, he didn't make any move to stop them, so River called out, "Well, I guess we should be heading back to the TARDIS now. Come along!"

The three children hopped up, all flocking around River as they made their way back to the blue box. "That was awesome!" Storm declared, his curly blond hair bouncing as he gave a tiny jump.

"Auntie River, are we gonna come back here again?" Jane asked, anticipation layering her words.

River laughed. "Maybe someday. You'll have to ask Uncle Doctor, though."

Now all the children turned to him, their eyes pleading. "Please!" they all chimed at once.

The Doctor was hesitant at first, but after a moment said, "Oh, all right."

The three of them cheered happily. Now, though, they had reached the TARDIS. The Doctor held the door open, and the little ones rushed inside. River followed after, pausing as she passed him. "Thanks for coming, Sweetie," she said, placing a soft but lingering kiss on his lips before following after the kids.

He shook his head, dazed from the remnants of the hallucinogenic lipstick. Then, he walked inside and pulled the door shut after him. Today may not have been one of his more conventional adventures, but it was exciting nonetheless. And after all that had happened, he found himself hopeful for what was to come.

**Thanks for reading! Reviews are much appreciated!**

**For those who haven't read "Welcome," here is a brief original character guide: **

**Rain: **_The Doctor and River's daughter._

**Jet: **_Rain's husband._

**Storm: **_The Doctor and River's son._

**Jane and Rhett: **_Twin daughter and son of Rain and Jet._


End file.
